Shock-absorbing device.



L. A. PECKHAM. SHOCK mmm@ DEVICE. AYPLGA'IOET LED PEBJS, 193.1`

` f P Pame Nov. 2l, 5.9M

, the shock absorbing device. Y t

- be adjusted to accommodate different ve-A hicles which maybe spaced differently betachcdto different relatively movable parts.

4of Edgewood, in thel county ofjProvidence vtional edgerlview vtliroi-Igh thebody of my UNITED sTAirnsrairE-NT oratori.

LUTHER A. PECKH'AM, OF EDGEWOOD, RHODE ISLAND.l

Y' SHOCK-,AB'SORBING- DEVICE.'

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

Application ined February-8, 1911. serial No. 607,334.

Tooll whom it may concern; l

Be it known that I, LUTHER A. PEoK- i-IAM, a-citizen of the United States, and resident andState of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shock-Absorbing Devices, of Whichjthe followingis a specification.

This invention relates to attachments for' vehicles for neutralizing or minimizing-the', .e'ect of yshocks and jars due to unevennesses in the/road.

One of the objects of the invention iste provide a simple and powerful device that will presenta gradually .increasing frietional resistance tothe downward movement of the vehicle body as the springs .are def pressed from their normal position and to gradually decrease the resistance as the body moves backward toward its normal position, and also to provide means whereby an ex. cessive resistance Will be exerted as the body approaches its'maximum down stroke to quickly arrest further movement in that direction,` and to present an excessive resist? ance when the body moves upward beyond its normal position to check an excessive rebound of the springs. j 4' It is found in practice thatl as the vehicle body is hung on springs .theunevennesses in the road cause the body to Aswing or swaylaterally on itsaXles and a further object of the invention is to provide simple and effectivemeansevhereby the shock absorbing device may be connected to the relatively movable parts of the vehicle vso as to permit this relative lateral movement Without crainping or `binding the Workingparts of Further, it is my object to provide means whereby the friction producing means may tween ,the frame and axle, j lVith these and othesobjects in View, the invent-ion consists ofcertain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described vand, particularly vpointed out in the appended claims. j In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved shock absorber the twozarms of which being at of the vehicle. Fig. 2- is a'n enlarged seclwith the band member t1 device. Fig. 3+ is a perspective view showing'vthe front engaging face of the band cam member. Fig. 4- is a perspective view showing the frontengaging face 'of the incasing friction plate cam member. Fig. -is a diagrammatic view\ showing the arrangement of the cam faces and their relative positions under normal conditions, Fig. 6- is a small A detail view of the band member showing the keyvways therein, Fig. 7 showsone of the friction disks which is keyed to move wit-h thev band member; Fig. 8- is a corresponding friction disk. which is keyed to move with the stud 18.

Referring ,to the drawingsl the device embodyingmy present'invention is shown as applied'to an automobile, L designating a portion of the frame or chassis thereof and 2 a portion of one of the springs, which lat- -ter may be secured to the aXle not shown, kand to the. body by anyA suitable-means.`

.The shock absorbing device comprising a body por-tion 3 is preferably made in the form of a circular drum, said drum compris- ,ing an outer band member 4- to which is secured one of the connecting arms 5. This Aband member is provided with a plurality of key-wayst by means of which the alternate friction members are held to rotate therewith, and also by means yof which the cam plate l5, hereinafter described, may be adf justed and set to accommodate itself to vehicles of different distances between. the body and aXle. The outer inclosing friction cap plate 7 is provided with a connecting arm 8 said plate' being cupped out to Vtit over the end and rotate on lthe outside of said band 4. Lying against the inner surface of this inclosing friction plate, is the friction disk-9 which is provided with projections or 'keys 10'10, seeFig. 7, to engage and move The surface of another friction disk l1 lies against that of the disk 9, disk 1l instead of being connected to the band member,- is connected at its center portion by means of keys 12 to the stud l13, which passes transversely through all of the friction members, as illustratectin Fig. 2, and to which the outer inclosing plate 7 is also secured by means of keys ietf-i4. The cam plate 15 lies with its back friction surface against the disk 11, the edge of said cam plate being provided. with projections 1G which. may engage and be set in any of the key ways 6 n the band member 4 and 15, said cam 17 being keyed as shown at 18-18to the stud 13 to move therewith. An

outer inclosing cap-shaped member 19 is arranged to set over this end of the band member and turn thereon, said plate being also secured by means of the key 18 to the stud 13 and is adapted to slide laterally on said keys as the cam members 15 and 17 turn upon, each other. A spring 20 is arranged to press against this inclosing cap member 19, its tension being adjusted by the nut 21, which nut may be locked by a cotter pin 22, or other means in the desired position.

Any desired means for attaching my' improved shockv absorber to the relatively movable parts of a vehicle may be employed, but in practice I prefer to support the same by the two arms 5 and 8 as lllustratedin Fig.

l, and to connect said arms to said vehicle parts'so as to permita relatively lateral movement said parts Without cramping or binding `he Workin'gparts of the shock absorber. accompllsh this in a simple and edect 1manner I have provided a bracket 23 i gidly bolted at 24 to the frame, said bracket being provided Witha boss 25 in which a pin 26 is loosely mounted to rotate, and is held in position by the nut 27, the opposite end of the pin is providedwt-h an eye'to Which the end of arm 8 is pivoted ,at 28. The lower arm 5 is pivoted at 29 to a member 30 which member is adapted to rotate on the )in 31 in the bracket 32. This bracket may 1be held by straps 33 or any other suitable means to the springs 2. By this construction it will be 'seen that when the vehicle parts receive a relative lateral movement the pin 2 6 and the member 30 may 'swing on their respective axes and thereby remove any' liability of cramping on the Working parts of the shock absorber.

The operation of my device is more particularly described as follows: When thev lugs 16 of the cam late 15 are set inthe proper notches 6 in t e band i, the faces of the cam members will be in the relative position illustrated in Fig. 5 when the body-of the vehicle is Without a load, at rest and in its normal posit-ion, in `Which `case the pointer 33 :in Fig. 1 will indicate-zero. When t-he vehicle springs are slightly depressed the relatively movable parts of the vehicle ap proach cach other, in which case the sur faces a. and of the cam members in the body ot' the shock absorber slide upon each other, part 2') riding up ori the slightly inclined surface of part a, thereby causing the cam plate 17 to slide outward on its keys 1.8-18 compressing the tension spring 20 and creating a slightly increased friction on all of .the friction srrfaces in the device,and When the body returns or moves back toward 4its normal position the 'friction is proportionally decreased. But when the springs approach their maximum depression the sharp incline c of cam l5 engages and rides up on a corresponding inclined surface ci of the cam plate 17, thereby creating an eX- cessive resistance on the frictional surfaces limiting the further depression of the springs. After a'n excessive compression the recoil of the springs has a tendency to move the body back beyond its normal position in which case the sharp incline e of the cam member 15 rides up on the correspondingly inclined surface f of the cam. member 17, thereby again exerting a greatly increased friction on the frictional member and quickly checking a further'movement in this direction due to an excessive rebound of the springs. f

I claim:

1. In a shock absorber two relatively movable members, one of said members having a relatively long slightly inclined ment of said members effects a lfirst or4 gradual tfrictionalresistance and4 Subseuently a rapidly increasing frictional resistance to the relative' movement of said members.

2.1m a shock absorber two relatively movable members, one of said members having a relatively long slightly inclined cam portion terminating in a higher more sharply inclined portion, the other member having an inclined surface complemental to "the respective cam portions of the first mem ber, the second member beingl also provided with a depression wider ,than the. higher cam portion of the first member and receiving the same, whereby relative movement'ot said members effects a iirst or gradual frictional resistance and subsequently a rapidly increasing frictional resistance to the relative movementof said members, andmeans for effecting a relative adjustment ot sait members.

3. ln a shock absorber two .relatively movable members one oi said members having a relatively long slightly inclined cam portion terminating in .a higher more sharply inclined V-shnpcd portion, the second member also having` :1n-inclined surlace complemental to the elongated cam portion of the lirst member. and also' provided with a depression wider than said V-shaped portion and receivin'f the latter, the ends of said depression having inclined walls complem'ental to the respective faces of the V-sliaped portion, whereby A.an excess of friction is exerted on the relatively movable members at botli ends of the stroke.

4. In a shock absorber. two relatively movable mernliers one of saidlinembers hav-4 ing a relatively long slightly inclined camportion terminating in a higher more sbarplyinclined V-shaped portion, the second rneniber also having an inclined surface complemental to the .elongatedcam portion of the first member, and yalso rovided with a depression wider than said shaped portion and receiving tbe latter, the ends of said depression having inclineduwalls complemental to the respective facesbf the V-shaped portion, whereby 4.11 excess of'friction is exerted on the relatively movable members at both ends of the stroke, and means for effecting a relative, adjustment of said members.- i

In testimony whereof I ax my signature .in presence of two witnesses.

LUTHER A. PECKHAM. "itnesses l HOWARD E. BARLow,

E. I: OGDEN. 

